Heaven, Hell, and Everything in between
by Rena the Turk Intern
Summary: REPOST:: AU Repressing her psychic abilities, Hitomi tries to hide within a normal existence, but as demons and angels converge upon Japan Hitomi is left with the choice that could decide the victor of the greatest battle hidden from mankind.
1. Episode 0

A while back, I attempted to write an AU Escaflowne with a plot inspired by Constantine. I wrote like...two chapters and then had the worst writer's block. Now, suffering from writer's block that prevents me from updating many of my stories, I actually had a bunch of ideas that made me want to try and rewrite the story.

So, here you are. Hopefully this story will not suffer the same as my other stories have been.

Disclaimer: Does my broke ass look like it owns Escaflowne? If it did, I think the series would have been dramatically different.

Prologue

Santa Cruz, California

The pale clouds passed before the moon as Van walked down the boardwalk, studying the beach. In the winter, there were barely, if any, people lingering by the water. Van looked up at the sky and sighed. He looked up at the sky and stared at the cloud covered moon. He studied it with eyes unfeigned by the beauty of the night and long dulled by a career centered around violence and death. After a few long moments, he turned his eyes from the orb and settled for watching the boardwalk where he currently waited.

"This is stupid," he muttered in English as he began pacing. He looked around the boardwalk again, and saw the same results, that there were no people around on the beach. Van pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The phone rang a few times, and then Van was transferred to a voicemail box.

"The number you have dialed, Emily Rorshanks, is not available. To page this person, please press five. At the tone, please leave a message," an automated voice said. A tone sounded and Van growled into the phone.

"Emily, get your ass to the board walk. I'm sick and tired of waiting for you, stupid woman," Van growled into the mouth piece. He waited a few more moments, then flipped his phone closed with a loud clack. He took up pacing again, the entire time muttering about how much he loathed the situation.

"Hey Van," a weak female voice said. Van spun around and saw a short woman, so skinny her bones could be seen through her ashen skin. There were dark circles under her eyes, and he appearance mirrored that of a corpse. She was wrapped in a large dark blue jacket and wore a long skirt with a pair of tennis shoes.

"Emily, what happened? You look like hell," Van said, running over.

"Ehn, you know how it is. Being one of the world's best seers, it's not all wine and roses. Lately, it's getting really hard," Emily said. She reached into her pocket and drew out a flask. As Van watched, she downed the contents and then smiled at him.

"What did you want to meet me out here for," asked Van. Emily pocketed the flask and smiled.

"Things are about to hit the fan, and trust me, you want to get your ass back to Japan. That's going to be the center. If whatever it is get's a hold in Japan, then the rest of the world is fucked, pardon my language," said Emily. She coughed and wiped her mouth.

"What do you mean things are going to hit the fan?" asked Van. Emily shrugged.

"You know how my visions are. I try to interpret them the best I can, but I'm not right all the time. all I know is, there's a psychic in Japan. She's in denial, or maybe in an institute. For some reason, she's repressing her powers, and soon she risks causing all that repressed energy to well up and burst out in some pretty destructive ways that can attract some less than reputable attention," Emily said weakly.

"Less than reputable? You mean demons?" Van asked. Emily nodded.

"Yeah, and if they get her...I keep seeing flames. Flames is not a good thing. Flames mean destruction, suffering, and death," Emily pointed out.

"Okay, what does the girl look like?" asked Van.

Emily reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Van unfolded the paper and a young woman with short cropped hair and sad eyes looked back at her. he blinked and refolded the paper, putting it back in his pocket.

"I drew it yesterday, figured you'd need to know what she looks like. Find her and guide her Van, she really needs you," said Emily.

"Alright. Besides, have you gotten any word from...from you know who?" asked Van. Emily sighed and shook her head.

"Nope. His will is still clouded from my sight, just as those clouds cover the moon above. I doubt I will ever see his will until I find myself face to face with his excellence in the kingdom of heaven. Ny body's wasting away too rapidly," Emily said.

"Why are you so sick? You were healthy when I saw you last," Van said, taking her hand. Emily laughed and tightened her hold on his hand.

"The cancer, the cancer they said was in remission no less, it spread. Docs say I'm at death's door. I could drop dead here, or in my bed, or a month from now. At the moment, it's all unknown. I cannot see my own fate, just those of the rest of the world, which tells me that I'm passing on soon. But Van, what I saw from before, I doubt it has changed," Emily said quietly. Van turned his eyes away and looked at the wooden boards compiling the boardwalk. Emily sighed and patted his hand.

"You are a child whose very existence is regarded as an abomination. Yes, in the past the angels could take on human brides. However, your mother and father committed an act against him most holy when they created you and your brother, and your brother's rebellion and allegiance with the dark ones continues to trouble heaven. No matter how many demons you sentence to eternal damnation, it may not be enough to redeem yourself, even though the sin is not of your doing," said Emily. She dropped Van's hand and sighed.

"I need to return to the hospice, I had to bribe the night watchman to come out here. Take care of yourself Van, and I'm sorry I will not see you again," said Emily. Van nodded and wrapped his arms around her skeletal frame.

"Never give in until the end Emily, not even in the face of defeat," he whispered. Emily nodded and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

"That goes double for you," she said softly, before walking away from Van and into the darkness of the night.


	2. Episode 1

Chapter One

Strange Deaths

Tokyo, Japan

Three days after Santa Cruz

Hitomi slept in a fitful sleep on the couch in the apartment shared by her and her room mate, Yukari. She tossed and turned, caught up in frightful ghoulish terrors while locked in a deep sleep. Yukari exited her room when Hitomi's moans and cries penetrated the walls, alerting her to her friend's distress.

"Hitomi?" Yukari sleepily asked, walking clumsily to the couch. Hitomi responded by suddenly jerking in her sleep and slamming into the floor with a loud thump. Yukari raced over and shook her friend.

"Hitomi, you're having another nightmare Hitomi. WAKE UP!" Yukari yelled. Hitomi stilled, and then her eyes snapped open. She jerked awake and retreated from Yukari. Yukari backed away from Hitomi and gulped, staring at her friend with wide eyes.

"Are you okay? You were rolling around, and you fell off the couch. I'm going to turn on the light and see if you hurt yourself, again," Yukari said softly. Hitomi sighed and got herself back onto the couch. Yukari flipped on the simple lamp which was by the couch and gasped when she saw the blood trickling down Hitomi's temple.

"Let me guess, I'm bleeding again?" asked Hitomi as Yukari ran to the bathroom to get the first aide kit. Yukari yelled a response and returned with the kit in one hand and the glass of water in the other. She handed the glass of water to Hitomi while taking various items from the kit.

"Hitomi, we bought this wonderfully expensive apartment, something we wanted since the days we shared our futon in the other apartment and watched NANA before I got my super awesome raise. We bought extremely expensive beds, beds mind you not hard futons, and yet you continue to sleep on the couch we picked up so our guests would not sit on the floor like our last apartment. Maybe, if you used your bed, you might not suffer from night after night of night terrors and screaming, and I might be able to get a good's night sleep without you waking me up by falling off the couch," Yukari said.

"I told you before, I can't sleep in that bed. Every time I try, I end up rolling around for hours on end before coming out here and passing out on the couch. Besides, if I take more of my pills, I sleep better," Hitomi said, wincing when Yukari dabbed rubbing alcohol on her temple. Yukari paused and stared at Hitomi with wide eyes.

"Please tell me you aren't overdosing on those things again! The doctor said take two only. Last time you went into the hospital, and they put you on suicide watch!" Yukari yelled.

"Relax, last time was a mistake. I've only been taking about four or five, and they help me sleep without having those nightmares. I hate seeing death and destruction whenever I close my eyes, I just want to sleep peacefully for once!" Hitomi yelled. Yukari backed away from Hitomi, the cotton swab in her hand.

Silence passed between the girls. The felix the cat clock, something Yukari picked up on a whim, charted the passage of time as the girls sat and stared at each other. Finally, Yukari cleared her throat and returned to treating Hitomi's wound.

"Whatever. Talk to Dr. Tanaka tomorrow, see if there's something else you can take to help at night. You might as well add to the daily drug cocktail he has you taking," Yukari muttered.

"Don't get mad at him, it's not his fault. I'm the defective one here," muttered Hitomi while Yukari pressed a band aide to her temple. Yukari's eyes softened and she wrapped her arms around Hitomi.

"It's not your fault. Sometimes...god works in mysterious ways. You'll get better one day, and then all this will seem like a bad dream. Just a bad dream," Yukari whispered in her ear. Hitomi's throat seemed to dry out and it became hard to swallow. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around her friend and buried her face in Yukari's shoulder.

"Yeah, some bad dream," Hitomi whispered.

~_~_~_~

Van awoke when the automated voice on the airplane declared he was arriving at the Tokyo airport. Yawning, he stretched out his arms and unbuckled his seat belt. Rubbing his eyes, he stared at his watch and groaned, it was only ten in the morning back in Japan.

"Fuck these stupid time zones," he growled as he grabbed his luggage. He wandered out into the terminal and his eyes narrowed when he spotted the large crowd of people gathered to greet those arriving off the plane. In particular, his eyes were narrowed on a man with long blonder hair holding a simple cardboard sign reading one word.

"Asshole? That's the best you could come up with?" Van asked in English when he walked up to the man. Shrugging, the blonde man tossed the cardboard sign and took Van's luggage for him.

"Nice to see you too Van," the man replied in English as they started walking out of the terminal

"When did you get back from England?" Van asked continuing to converse in English while walking quickly and weaving through the crowds.

"About two and a half weeks ago, while you were already in America pursuing the psychics there. By the way, Milerna came here too, she wants to see you as soon as possible," the blonde man said, easily keeping up with Van's pace.

"Milerna? I thought she was hiding from your ass in Paris. What does she want, Allen?" Van asked.

"A psychic over in France, someone Milerna was close with, ended his life by jumping off a building. He's the fifth psychic to end his life, and the ninth to die in the last three months. The rest have been offed by accidents. By the way, how's Em doing?" asked the man now identified as Allen.

Van stopped walking so rapidly and looked forlornly at the ground. Allen paused and looked at him. Allen took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Van.

"She's not dead yet but she's circling the drain. She said...she said she could see the future of the world and those around her, but her own is clouded, so she's not got much time left. I have a feeling that she'll be the tenth psychic dead," Van said. Allen nodded and they started walking again.

As they were walking, Van reached in his pocket and pulled out Emily's picture. He handed it to Allen.

"Emily said this psychic is in Japan, and she's in need of help. She's repressing her power, and we all know the psychic hemorrage that can occur when someone's repressing it. Emily said that she's going to start attracting demons, and my job's already hard enough without risking a shift in the balance. We need to find this girl," Van said.

Allen studied the picture and then pocketed it.

"I always thought Em was a good artist. I'll have Milerna make some copies and post them at the clinic or something, get some hunters looking for this girl," said Allen.

"Good, the more people the better," said Van. They walked out of the airport and entered a waiting taxi.

~_~_~_~

Hitomi opened her eyes and groaned, curling into a ball on the couch. When sleep would not return to her, she rolled into a sitting position and sighed. She stared at the clock and groaned again, it was ten in the morning. She reached over to table besides the couch and retrieved the remote for the television, flipping it on before walking to the bathroom. As she left the living room, the sounds of the Japanese morning news sounded in her ears.

"At the top of the hour, the bizarre death of Rosette McDonald, an American visiting from New York. Famed for her ability to communicate with the dead, Rosette was traveling Japan as part of a worldwide tour when she was killed in a bizarre accident as a large sign for the hotel she was staying at came loose and fell, crushing McDonald with such force that her head was actually popped off her body and rolled into traffic. As of yet, the police to not believe foul play but-"

The words of the anchor woman were drowned out while Hitomi soaked washed her face, blocking everything but the sound of running water. When the cold water hit the wound from the previous night, she winced a bit but showed no more sign that the wound continued to effect her.

She pulled her face from the water. Now, the news anchors were commenting on something new, but Hitomi shut them out as she opened the medicine cabinet and drew out several containers. She measured out her pills and swallowed them all, requiring only a little water to help ease them down her throat.

She sniffed a little and walked out of the bathroom, plopping down on the couch and flipping through the channels. She landed on some children's anime and settled for watching the brightly colored cartoons, chuckling a few times at their antics.

Suddenly a sharp pain radiated through her head, making her eyes roll back. Hitomi fell to the floor, her body contorting into an awkward position in pain. She began convulsing, white froth spilling from her lips as she trembled.

In her mind, visions flew past depicting people and things. She saw a man with blonde hair, and then a girl whose appearance changed from that of feline to a high school aged female with red hair and bright eyes. The last thing she saw before the vision ended was a man whose face she could not see. All she could see was his hand reaching out for her, and a pair of white wings protruding from his back. As everything faded away into nothing, Hitomi continued staring at his wings, so beautiful she wondered how a mind like hers could have created them.

The scene faded and Hitomi awoke on the floor of the living room, the cartoons still playing on the television. She blinked and rose off the ground, checking the time to see how long she'd been out. The clock read nine after eleven, she'd been out a little under an hour. Hitomi coughed and got off the ground, stumbling back to the bathroom where she cleaned the froth from around her mouth. Once she looked normal, apart from her eyes which had widened to an extent Hitomi could not believe, she raced to the living room and grabbed her cell phone. She then raced through her contact until she landed on one and pressed the call button.

"Dr. Tanaka, it happened again. I need another visit, please!" Hitomi pleaded.

AN:: So I thought I'd clarify a few things. To add to the story, Yukari and Hitomi are currently living in an apartment that would be about the size of a regular apartment here in the United States. I fashioned their home off of an American style apartment because I thought it'd be easier to write something I've had experience with, rather than having them in a traditional Japanese apartment which I've been told tend to be very small, my Japanese teacher told me her sister's four person household live in an area smaller than her classroom, and cramped. I wanted a lot of room for Hitomi to have her convulsive visions.

I'm trying to keep this story as centered in Japan as I can without bringing too many American style details in.


	3. Episode 2

Chapter 2

Living gets harder

"and you say the symptoms are getting worse?"

Hitomi looked up from the ground at Dr. Tanaka, a young man around his mid thirties with deep black hair and hazel eyes that never failed to draw her in. She nodded and sniffed, taking a tissue from the box besides the couch in his office and blowing her nose.

"It seems, every other day, I go into convulsions and...see things. today, it was a man, and then a girl, and then...god...and then an angel," Hitomi said. Dr. Tanaka nodded and took notes.

"Well, given the severity of your condition, I'm sure these 'visions' are nothing more then your body's reaction to extreme amounts of stress. Of course, I'll look into seeing if there's any medication that might alleviate these symptoms. I'm concerned what affect the mixing of these antipsychotics and other psychiatric drugs will have on your body however," Dr. Tanaka said.

Hitomi threw her head into her hands.

"I don't care! I want to go more than a day without having a vision, and I want to go a night without being tormented by these nightmares. I was normal up until high school," Hitomi cried. She used one of her hands to grab another tissue and blow her nose again.

"You'll be normal again soon. We'll find a way to make you better, I promise Hitomi," Dr. Tanaka said. Hitomi sniffed and shook her head.

"You say that every visit, and every visit I walk out of here hoping I'll be normal, and then at some point going into convulsions and seeing more things!" Hitomi sobbed. She grabbed and handful of tissues this time.

"Hitomi, we are trying the best we can. Maybe...maybe you might want to consider serious help, as in going to a psychiatric center," Dr. Tanaka suggested. Hitomi looked up and glared at him.

"You mean you want to send me to an asylum," she hissed. Dr. Tanaka sighed and took more notes.

"There you'd be monitored twenty four hours a day, and they'd be able to give you stronger pills. You could try and learn how to deal with your condition and, who knows, you might become 'normal' again," said Dr. Tanaka. Hitomi sighed and held out her hand.

"Just give me the damn pills," she muttered.

~_~_~_~

The taxi ride to Milerna's clinic was shorter than Van expected. He got out of the taxi quickly, leaving Allen to grab his bags and pay the cab driver, and entered the clinic. People were sitting all over, a few with very serious injuries, some coughing like they ere dying. Cautiously, Van approached the front desk.

"Is Milerna in, I need to speak with her," he said to the elderly woman sitting behind the desk. The woman stared at him, and then motioned for him to sit down. Groaning, Van took a seat in the waiting room, averting his eyes from the others sitting near him.

"You owe me thirteen dollars," a slightly annoyed Allen announced. Van smirked and looked up at the annoyed blonde.

"You didn't say I had to pay for the cab. I don't owe you a cent," Van silently declared, Allen opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a high pitched squeal that made Van's blood run cold.

"Oh god...Merle!" Van hissed shortly before a short girl with long legs and short red hair attacked him. She cuddled with him as the others in the waiting room looked on and conversed silently.

"Merle, this is not the time!" Van growled quietly.

"What? You go off to America for like three weeks without so much as a good bye, and then you don't expect me to show my long withheld affection for you upon your return?" the girl asked in a high pitched voice.

"Merle, we're in public stop embarrassing me!" Van hissed as people continued whispered. Merle pouted and crossed her arms.

"Man, you seriously are the worst fiance ever!" she said. Van groaned.

"For the last time, I was five, and the decision of a five year old concerning the women he's dooming himself an everlasting bond to DO NOT COUNT!" Van declared, attempting to keep his voice low enough so only Merle could hear. He glared at Allen as the man tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a laugh in a sudden and severe coughing fit.

'Van, Milerna will see you now," the elderly lady at the front desk announced. Van, followed by Allen and Merle, walked back into an examination room. Already waiting for them was a young blonde woman dressed in a lab coat. She smiled when they entered.

"Van, how was America?" she asked, placing a clipboard onto an examination table. Van shrugged.

"It was okay I guess. I saw Emily while I was down there, and she's not doing so well," said Van softly. Next to him, Merle let out a soft sad little cry.

"No kidding. Her sister called me this morning. Emily passed away peacefully in her sleep last night," Milerna said softly. The room went silent, and then Allen cleared his throat.

"So then, that's ten dead psychics," he muttered.

"Eleven, there was an accident last night, strangely around the time Emily was said to pass away at, and an American traveling around here was crushed by a falling sign. She's the eleventh psychic to die, which means things are getting pretty bad out there," Milerna said with a sigh.

Allen reached into his pocket and drew out Emily's picture. Milerna studied the girl depicted and then turned back to Allen.

"Emily told Van that girl is a repressed psychic living somewhere in Japan. She said we need to find the girl, before she starts attracting demons and we end up with a mess on our hands," Allen said.

"Alright. I'll use the photo copier out back and start handing these out to every hunter who wanders through here in need of a patch up. However, are you aware of how many girls are in Japan. We may need to be careful, in case someone else gets her before we do," Milerna cautioned.

"We'll burn that bridge when the time comes. Although, I do have an idea. If the girl's repressing her powers, then there's a good chance she's visiting a shrink. You know how most girls are when they start getting visions, they think they're crazy and they start going to a shrink who also thinks they're crazy," Van said. Milerna nodded.

"I'll check with a few of my psychiatrist friends, see if any of them know our little girl here. Then, we'll grab her and see if we can't stop the end of the world," Milerna said.

Van, Merle, and Allen nodded. Van looked once more at the pictured girl clutched in Milerna's hands.

"Please god," he thought in silent prayer, "let's find her before things get really bad, and this mess gets any worse."

~_~_~_~

Hitomi was once again passed out on the couch as night wore on. Yukkari had come in earlier in the evening, made sure her friend was tucked in, and then gone to bed. However, as her dreams progressed, Hitomi seemed to become more and more violent. Simple twitches and movements turned into fits of kicking and punching some invisible foe that appeared to torment her. As she dreamed, her dreams warped into visions of a hellish world, thousands of people suffering, and once again the angel appeared to her. Then, Hitomi awoke in a sweaty mess tangled in a blanket on the floor. With a sigh, Hitomi leaned against the couch and sighed.

"God, just please let it end," she whimpered before she returned to her spot on the couch and curled into a ball.


End file.
